Head of Pharmacy Operations and Clinical Procurement - Equity Afya at Equity Bank Kenya

The Role Purpose

Reporting to the Chief Pharmacist, the Head of Pharmacy Operations & Clinical Procurement is responsible for providing strategic leadership for pharmaceutical operations, clinical procurement, supply chain management, and business growth initiatives across the network. The role is accountable for developing strategic partnerships, negotiating supplier contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance, and guaranteeing the continuous availability of pharmaceuticals and other clinical supplies while optimizing inventory costs, supporting clinic profitability, and maintaining high standards of patient care

The Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Leadership:

• Develop, implement, and evaluate long-term and short-term strategic plans to advance pharmaceutical services in alignment with EQA’s mission and objectives.
• Provide leadership and direction for the pharmacy section across multiple sites or facilities.
• Represent pharmacy interests at the management level and participate in organizational decision-making.
• Manage key strategic partnerships to optimize the performance of the pharmacy section.
• Collaborate with the clinical team, Franchisees and other stakeholders to conduct business research and align business needs with the overall EQA goals.

Partnerships and Business Support:

• Grow Pharmacy revenue, market share, brand growth & visibility.
• Proactively identify potential strategic partnerships for business growth and expansion.
• Manage relationships with Pharmacy accrediting and regulatory bodies to enhance partnership and collaboration.
• Serve as subject matter expert for drug procurement, medical devices and equipment and service providers related to pharmaceutical regulatory and donors’ requirements.
• Provide timely, accurate and credible reports on the status of the pharmacy section.
• Lead the identification, development, and management of strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, donors, and other healthcare supply partners to support business growth, affordability, and supply continuity.
• Negotiate and oversee commercial agreements, service level agreements (SLAs), and supply contracts to achieve optimal pricing, quality, availability, and value for the organization.
• Ensure effective supplier performance management through regular review of supplier service levels, contract compliance, pricing competitiveness, and product availability.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships that strengthen access to pharmaceuticals, laboratory commodities, medical consumables, medical devices, and other clinical supplies across the network

Business Planning and Budgeting:

• Develop and manage Pharmacy department budget, optimize resource allocation, and oversee cost-containment strategies without compromising quality of care.
• Conduct internal and external periodic performance reviews against key metrices to monitor the performance of the pharmacy section and take prompt action to maintain quality service.

Clinical Supply Chain Management:

• Optimize purchasing of pharmaceutical supplies and drug formulary decisions to ensure affordability of medication without compromising quality.
• Negotiate favourable contracts and partnerships with pharmaceutical suppliers and vendors.
• Support the procurement processes of pharmaceuticals & clinical items for the medical centres.
• Identify & leverage on opportunities for continuous quality improvement and process reengineering to optimize operational efficiency and patient care at the Equity Afya facilities.
• Establish EQA Formulary for Pharmaceuticals, Non-Pharms, Lab and Other Medical supplies.
• Develop and implement EQA annual Procurement Plan for Pharmaceuticals, Non-Pharms, Lab and Other Medical supplies.
• Develop, implement, and continuously optimize inventory management systems and controls across the EQA network to ensure consistent availability of pharmaceuticals, laboratory commodities, nutrition products, medical consumables, medical devices, and other clinical supplies while maintaining optimal inventory holding costs and minimizing expiries, wastage, and stockouts.
• Manage end to end supply chain process for pharmaceuticals, nutrition products, medical devices and medical equipment requirements for EQA Kenya & the francophone countries that EQA operates in.
• Support in the development of processes to ensure compliance related to key supply chain requirements such as quality control, cold chain storage and distribution.
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management to continually identify process improvements and cost reduction opportunities.

Clinical Compliance, Risk and Process Improvement

• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust quality management system for the pharmacy section, in compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines.
• Drive initiatives to enhance operational efficiency through technology, process improvement, and innovation.
•  Ensure that Equity Afya network adheres to existing regulations and guidelines of the Pharmacy & Poisons Board (PPB) and other relevant regulators within the region.
• Audit compliance of the facilities as per approved checklist and report to management any unfavourable trends in unmet indicators for timely remedial action.
• Perform risk assessments to identify potential quality issues and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Provide leadership in clinical pharmacy services, including medication therapy management (MTM), drug information, and patient counselling.
• Monitor and improve medication-use processes to ensure patient safety and optimize therapeutic outcomes.
• Identify & leverage opportunities for continuous quality improvement and process reengineering to optimize operational efficiency and patient care at the Equity Afya facilities.
• Accountable for ensuring uninterrupted availability of all pharmaceuticals and clinical supplies required to support safe patient care, operational efficiency, and revenue generation across the network.
• Establish inventory planning, forecasting, replenishment, and stock optimization strategies that balance service levels, working capital requirements, and clinic profitability.
• Monitor inventory turnover, stock holding days, expiry rates, procurement savings, and supply chain performance to drive continuous improvement and cost optimization.
• Develop and implement supply continuity and risk mitigation plans to address supply disruptions, supplier shortages, and market volatility.

People Management

• Develop and cascade goals and Key performance indicators to ensure individual members of your team meet their performance expectations.
• Build and mentor a high-performing leadership team within the pharmacy department.
• Promote a culture of excellence, accountability, and professional development among pharmacy staff.
• Develop and implement training programs to enhance patient education regarding medications and treatment plans.

Core Accountabilities and Deliverables 

• Implement a standard medicines optimization plan across all franchise sites with ≥95% formulary adherence and annual review updates.
• Achieve ≥90% compliance on quarterly clinical audits and close 100% of corrective actions within 30 days network‑wide.
• Deliver quarterly training/coaching sessions for all franchise pharmacy teams and maintain ≥85% staff competence scores.
• Maintain availability of essential pharmaceuticals and clinical supplies at ≥95%, achieve stockout rates of <1%, and maintain stock variance rates within approved thresholds.
• Maintain stock holding days ≤30 days, across the Franchisee network
• Achieve 50% annual cost savings through optimized purchasing and reduce wastage to <2% across the franchise network.
• Secure ≥80% franchise participation in centralized procurement and reduce lead times for essential items to ≤7 days.
• Roll out the network digital inventory system to 100% of franchise facilities with ≥85% reporting compliance and pilot at least two innovations per year.
• Deliver inventory optimization initiatives that improve inventory turnover, reduce working capital tied in stock, minimize expiries and wastage, and contribute positively to clinic profitability.

Key Decisions Made by the Job-Holder (Not Recommendations) and How Often

• Sets the overall strategic direction, growth priorities, and geographic expansion of the outpatient health facilities network.
• Approves pharmaceutical strategy, formularies, and procurement frameworks.
• Sets pharmaceutical quality, safety, and compliance standards across the network.
• Authorizes supplier selection, major pharmaceutical contracts, and risk mitigation actions.
• Acts as the final escalation point for significant pharmaceutical, regulatory, or safety incidents.
• Recommends pharmacy-related investments, systems, and innovations to executive leadership.

Complexity Expected in the Role (E.g. Multiple Countries, Cross-Functional Responsibilities, Delivering Through Other Third Parties) 

• Ensuring compliance and quality in franchise pharmacies without direct authority.
• Managing regulatory variability across the network.
• Balancing cost control with medicine availability and quality.
•  Protecting brand and patient safety in decentralized operations.
• Driving adoption of standardized systems and protocols across diverse operators.
• Balancing Vendor needs, and the franchise business needs.

Critical Relationships/Stakeholders/Contacts

• Internal: The EQA senior EXCO Team,
• External: Franchisees, Regulators, Government Agencies, Suppliers, Public Media/Press

Qualifications

Key Technical Skills & Leadership Competencies

•  Ability to articulate the vision, expectations, and strategies clearly across multiple levels.
• A track record of high performance in the health sector.
• Ability to define long-term strategy, growth priorities, and market expansion plans.
• Strong financial acumen and understanding of budgeting, forecasting, profitability, and cost management.
• Understanding of Pharmacy governance, patient safety, and healthcare compliance.
• High level of commercial experience, exposure and hands on skills in Pharmaceuticals.
• Ability to lead system, formulary, and process changes across the network.
• Skilled in building capable teams and upholding professional and ethical standards
• Possess the ability to build nurture business relationships with key business stakeholders and have distinguished hands-on operational skills.
• Strong expertise in pharmaceutical and clinical supply procurement, strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier relationship management, and supply chain optimization to ensure cost-effective, quality-assured, and uninterrupted availability of healthcare commodities.

Experience Requirements  

• At least 8 years of progressive leadership experience in pharmacy, healthcare, or supply chain operations, with a proven track record of leading high-performing teams.
• Experience managing pharmaceutical services, medicines optimization, and clinical governance within healthcare organizations.
• Experience overseeing multi-site, franchise, or multi-country pharmacy operations is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in procurement, supply chain management, inventory optimization, and supplier relationship management.
• Proven track record in regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and audit management.
• Experience driving operational efficiency, cost optimization, and financial performance improvement initiatives.
• Experience implementing and utilizing pharmacy, inventory, ERP, or digital health systems to improve operational outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management experience, including engagement with regulators, healthcare providers, suppliers, insurers, and senior leadership

Academic Qualifications and Certifications 

• Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy from a recognized institution.
• Registered Pharmacist with a valid practicing license.
• Master's degree in Pharmacy, Public Health, Healthcare Management, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field will be an added advantage.
• Professional certifications in supply chain management, project management, quality management, or leadership are desirable